Swedish Pat. No. 218,063 published Jan. 2, 1968 and entitled MEDICAL TRAINING GARMENT is the most pertinent prior art known to applicant. The Swedish Patent discloses a medical training garment designed to fit tightly and firmly to the body by means of adjustable resilient straps extending along the sides of the garment and a tightly laced slit opening extending downwardly from the front neckline of the garment. The prior art garment has a plurality of vertically extending long pockets across the back of the garment and on each side of the upper part of the front of the garment. Another series of horizontal pockets extend across the front of the garment below its waist portion.
The Swedish Patent notes that it may be satisfactorily used by healthy individuals but it is particularly intended for the therapeutic treatment of certain circulatory dysfunctions, vasoregulatory asthenia, narrow circulatory vessels, neurocirculatory asthenia, and the like. The Swedish Patent emphasizes that the weights are placed in such a manner that the center of gravity remains unchanged laterally and also emphasizes that the garment may be worn under another garment such as an overcoat or jacket.
In summary, the weighted garment disclosed by the Swedish patent is a relatively tight fitted, elongated garment extending below the waist and which permits only limited movement of the body, the emphasis being on maintaining the center of gravity of the body in the same or approximately the same vertical line as that of the unweighted body to facilitate use of the garment for therapeutic purposes in treating certain medical disorders.